There are days when I dread opening the newspaper. The report of a 20-year-old Afghani man (dare I call him boy) being sentenced to death for reading an internet article about the possibility of women's rights to multiple marriages within an Islamic framework, and distributing it to his class, is just one example of why. There is so much wrong with what happened to this young man, not just in terms of basic human and civil rights, but also in terms of blatant violations of Islamic morality and legal codes, that I don't even know where to begin.

First of all... the issue of freedom of information. The idea that reading an article and distributing it for discussion could be an affront to Islam is ludicrous. The Qur'an is filled with injunctions to study history, to learn from the successes and mistakes of others. The book itself tells stories of attempted seduction, theft, murder, arrogance and greed. If we were to read nothing but what is currently considered legal, whole portions of the Qur'an itself would have to be excluded from our library.

Couple that with the Prophet's injunction to seek knowledge even unto China (which at the time was not a hotbed of Islamic learning...) and it becomes obvious that we are to learn from whatever source we can, and that no topic is off limits for discussion.

Even if Sayed had energetically propounded the opinions expressed in the article, that is no sin.

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Incorporating exceptional laws into the judicial system is a bad idea, whether it be Shari'ah, Halakha, or any other religious laws. The creation of a multi-tier legal system, with some laws for "average" citizens and other laws for Muslim, Jewish, Mormon, Hindu, Catholic, etc., citizens is a gross violation of the principles that the government should not intrude itself in religious matters, and that all citizens have the same rights and protections under the law.

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The recent Pew study that revealed over 40% of Americans have switched religious affiliation also reveals the vibrancy and viability of American ideals concerning religious freedom and individual empowerment. Many countries have laws guaranteeing freedom of religious practice and many cultures speak glowingly of religious freedom, but without the social support to make it a reality, rhetoric about religious freedom is often nothing more than just that -- rhetoric. That over 40% of Americans felt secure enough in America's culture of religious tolerance to switch or drop their religious affiliation is a testament that our society not only has laws protecting religious freedom, that it not only speaks of religious freedom, but has also established a social atmosphere that makes personal religious sincerity and integrity truly possible.

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